Don't Believe Everything You Read
by jendill
Summary: Bella makes a new friend, only to realize later he's America's hottest actor.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't Believe Everything You Read**

**Bella **

I sat on the beach listening to my older than dirt iPod, watching the waves crash into the beach. In and out, in and out, it was soothing, putting my mind at rest. This is why I packed up everything I owned and hitched a ride to Hollywood. I love the beach; I love to people watch, but most of all I love the industry. Not that I'm part of the industry, although I did give it a go... it just never went. So here I am, feet buried in the sand, wasting time between my two jobs that barely pay the bills.

I was just about to get up and search out a snack to replace my missed lunch when I saw him. He wore a sweatshirt with the hood up, covering most of his face, and he was coming right towards me. I didn't realize he was speaking to me until he pointed to his wrist.

"Oh," I said, quickly removing my ear buds. That was when I heard his smooth voice; it sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Do you have the time?" he asked, once again pointing to his wrist.

"Yeah, lemme just find my watch," I said, rummaging around in my purse.

"Thanks," he replied, "I left my phone in my car; I didn't want to lose it on the beach."

After what felt like forever digging in my bag, I felt his eyes on me, and I looked up. "Sorry, I know it's in here somewhere... I never wear it cuz I just bang it around at work all day."

"I know... you made me the best Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato last week," he confessed.

"Oh, you come into Starbucks?" I replied, squinting up at him, trying to get a better view of his face, but he was standing right in front of the sun.

"I do ... you don't remember? " he sounded genuinely surprised. I immediately hoped I hadn't spilled his drink on him or something. It would be just my luck.

"I'm sorry. I make a ton of drinks a day; it all kind of blends together after a while. Good news though, I found it! It's 1:30."

"Well, thank you very much..." he trailed off.

"Bella," I answered with a smile.

"Thanks again, Bella. Maybe I'll stop in again sometime," he replied as he turned and walked back down the beach the way he came.

A few minutes later I dusted myself off, took one last look at the beautiful water and headed toward job #2.

**Edward**

As soon as the director yelled "Cut!" and told us to take lunch, I all but ran off the set. I hopped in my car, smart enough this time to remember to bring a hat with me so I didn't have to wear a hoodie on the beach in the middle of the summer. Nothing screams 'actor' in LA like being covered up completely.

The drive up the PCH was nice, but all I could think about was one thing: Would she be there again?

I pulled off the road and parked the car in the street by the house I'd just bought. It should be finished by the end of the week, and then I had the tedious job of trying to move in without the paparazzi noticing. That was something I wasn't looking forward to doing, but it's just another hazard of the job.

I walked down to the beach and at first, I didn't see her. I started scanning the sand for her, turning my head in every direction. Then I spotted her. Today she was resting up against a palm tree, legs stretched out in front of her. She looked so peaceful, almost looked asleep. As soon as I laid eyes on her my chest felt lighter, and a small smile formed on my face. I felt my heart race and my breathing quicken at the mere sight of her. Why did this girl make me feel this way? What was it about her that made me happy? I must have stood and stared at her for five minutes trying to figure it out before I started moving.

**Bella**

The following day found me on the beach again, looking at the sailboats out on the water in the warm afternoon sun. I was glad I wore a tank top today under my Starbucks shirt. After hitting the sand I quickly stripped off my uniform in an attempt to get some sun. Being so fair skinned, I never tanned, but the sun felt great on my shoulders.

I was so lost in my thoughts didn't even notice him until he was standing right next to me.

"Afternoon, Bella," he said tipping his baseball hat. _This guy must have a thing for hats_, I thought to myself. He looked much more beach appropriate today in a short sleeve shirt and baseball hat. Thanks to that hat, I could get a better look at his face. He was seriously not overlooked in the hotter than hell genes department.

"Oh, hi," I replied, removing my ear buds and turning off my iPod.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," he apologized as he started backing up in an attempt to leave.

"Nah, I sit here pretty much every day doing the same thing... nothing, ya know, daydreaming. So, what brings you to the beach?" I replied, tossing the iPod into my purse.

"I escaped work to get some fresh air. Before I knew it I was down here," he replied, plopping down onto the sand near me.

"It's a great place to get away," I agreed.

We sat there and talked for what seemed like hours. I heard my phone chime, and I reached into my purse to grab it. As soon as I heard it I had a feeling I forgot something. I opened my phone to find a new text. Who would text me? I've never get texts unless my friends were drunk and needed me to help get them home. I quickly read the message "Where are you?" Then it came to me... I was supposed to be at work early to cover for someone. I frantically got up dusted myself off and said a hasty, "Sorry, I gotta run!" before I turned to see the bus leaving without me.

"Crap! Ugh, my boss is gonna be pissed... I was supposed to be in early today... and that was my bus." I tried to explain my hasty retreat.

"Oh, no problem, I can drop you off if you like," he said, grabbing his car keys and pointing to the shiny silver Volvo parked a little ways down the beach.

"You're a lifesaver; your next frilly drink with too many names is on me," I said as we walked to the car. He chuckled at my description of his favorite drink. I've never heard a laugh like his before. It made me smile just to hear it.

He opened my door and made sure I was safely inside before he rounded the car to the driver's side. Once inside, he started the car and pulled us out onto the PCH traffic.

"So, where am I headed?" he asked.

I looked down at my hands, already wringing in my lap. This was something I hated admitting. Not even my father knew the details of my second job. He just thought I worked at a restaurant; he didn't know I worked at a trendy bar like The Midnight Sun. Charlie would certainly never allow me to work in a place that resembled the movie Coyote Ugly.

"Uh, it's a bar on Sunset," I replied shyly.

The Volvo headed in the right direction, and we sat in comfortable silence. I had to admit the trip was much nicer with him than on the bus. His choice in music was remarkable. He seemed to have everything from classic to hard rock. I couldn't help but quietly hum along. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence with unnecessesary chatter.

Once we got toward all the bars, he slowed down and asked which one.

I took a deep breath. "The Midnight Sun; its right up here at the corner," I replied quietly. There was no avoiding the question. I could have told him a different one, but he was so nice to offer to drive me to work, I felt I should be honest.

"Oh," he said as he pulled over near the bar and put the car in park.

"Yeah, I know it's not my dream job, but it pays the bills. Well, that and Starbucks," I laughed.

"I just didn't expect…" he didn't finish.

"Oh no! Not me, I simply set up, stock and clean up after close," I replied, trying to steer the conversation away from the thought of me dancing on the bar. I'm sure I was a nice shade of tomato. "I couldn't do that, I'd fall right off. I'm not the most coordinated."

"Gotcha," he replied, sounding sort of relieved.

I grabbed my purse off the floor and turned to thank him once more, "Thanks again..." I trailed off, hoping he'd finally give me his name. He seemed to hesitate before he answered.

"Edward," he replied, looking down.

"Well, Edward, thanks again, and make sure to stop in for that drink!" I said as I got out of the car. He just looked at me and smiled.

"I will," he promised. He looked so familiar; it was driving me crazy, but I was so bad with names and faces. It took me weeks to learn my roommate's name in college. I was sure I didn't know him, so I don't know why it was bothering me so much. I turned around, happy that I finally had a name to go with the face and headed into work.

As soon as I walked in I saw Rosalie sitting at the bar. It's hard to miss Rosalie with her beautiful, long blonde hair and perfect tan. She screams Hollywood, and yet at the same time is very smart and down to earth. Rose was thumbing thru another tabloid... you could always count on Rosie to never be without one. It was quite ironic; she looked like a movie star and was completely obsessed with keeping tabs on her favorite celebrities. She's very contradicting; as soon as you think you've got her figured out, she throws you for a loop.

"Who's doing who now Rose?" I asked as I stowed my purse behind the bar.

"No one special," she replied, not lifting her head from the magazine. "There are some great pics from the set of some new movie, though."

"I'll never understand that. Why can't people wait till the movie comes out?" I replied, starting to fill the bottles behind the bar.

"Some actors are hard to find, so the paparazzi sneak onto the set and get their shots… it's more of a sneak peek than anything."

"What does it matter what some actor is doing? I saw a magazine once with a picture of some actor grocery shopping. So he goes to the store… who cares?" I asked.

"You're just not into the Hollywood scene." She answered as if that made all the sense in the world.

"I guess not," I said as I picked up the discarded magazine to wipe down the bar. The cover stopped me in my tracks.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"The guy on the cover?" she replied without looking up her cell phone. She must be tweeting again. That girl is addicted to Twitter. "It's Edward Cullen."

That was when I realized who he was. It was like someone took my palm and smacked my forehead. Duh.

"What's he in here for?" I wanted to know, quickly paging thru to find the article on him.

"It's his movie the pictures were from," she answered finally looking up from her phone. "Why?"

I just stared at her for a second. "Oh, I think he comes into Starbucks." I snapped out of my daze.

She just laughed, "Half of LA goes thru that Starbucks in a week sweetie. I wouldn't be surprised."

I went back to getting the bar in order, but my mind traveled back to the gorgeous man on the beach.

Earlier today I was sitting on the beach chatting with Edward Cullen... one of America's hottest actors. Part of me was excited, and part of me felt like an idiot... how did I not notice? No wonder he was so surprised I had no clue who he was!

**Edward**

As I said my name, I was sure she was going to figure it out. It amazed me that she hadn't already. As I drove away from the bar my mind was reeling with possibilities. Maybe she grew up in the area and was used to seeing celebrities. Maybe she lived a sheltered life and hasn't seen a movie in years. Scratch that. She works at The Midnight Sun; sheltered is not a word I'd use to describe her. There were many words I'd use; ones like beautiful, stunning, and endearing. There's just something about her that I can't get enough of.

I pulled back into the studio lot and made a decision. I'd be going to Starbucks in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

Bella

"Next!" I barked to the long line of people standing in front of me in need of their morning caffeine fix. It was only 7:30 but it felt like we'd been here for hours. But it seemed never-ending and the line was still out the door. It didn't help that one of our best baristas didn't show this morning. Supposedly his replacement was on her way, but the traffic in this town is horrendous in the morning. Needless to say we were busting our asses trying to get this line down. I've never understood how people who see a long line continue to get in that line, why wouldn't you go somewhere else?

A lady stepped up to the counter and had a long list in her hand. Ugh, I hated these orders. You could never read their writing and neither could they so you ended up waiting while they placed a call to find out what it said. I was just about to take the list from her when Alice bumped into me and said, "Uh, I got this one Bells."

_Well that was awful nice of_ _her_ I thought to myself as she grabbed the list and started the first drink.

"Ok, next!" I shouted, not paying attention to the next person in line. If I had, I would have noticed why Alice took the order from hell for me.

"I'll take your best frilly drink with too many names," Edward answered with a smile and a chuckle.

"Oh, hey!" I said, as I let out a deep breath. I dished all the details of my beach friend this morning on our way to work, and this was Alice's way of giving me more time with him.

"You're swamped," he said, looking around the filled to capacity store.

"You're telling me. I feel like this is the first time I've stopped to breathe." I took a good look at him. He wore the baseball hat again, this time with jeans and a short sleeve button down. He left the two top buttons open revealing a patch of chest hair. I've never been a fan of chest hair, but that little bit sticking out just made my mind wander.

"What can I get you?" I asked as I tore my eyes away from his chest, my face immediately blushing as I realized he caught me staring.

He chuckled at my awkwardness and ordered an Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte, which just happened to be one of my favorites.

"I was going to ask when you get a break, but I have a feeling I have to be at work before this line dies down," he said quietly so only I could hear.

"Yeah, this is gonna take a while," I replied, while putting extra cinnamon sprinkles on top, just the way I liked it.

I pushed some buttons on the register to make it look like he was paying and handed him the cup.

"Enjoy" I said with a smile.

"Thanks, maybe I'll see ya later…" he mumbled as he grabbed his keys from the pocket of his jeans. If I wasn't paying so much attention to him I might not have heard him. I knew what he was hinting at and gave him confirmation as he started walking out of the shop.

"I hope so," I shouted. The whole restaurant got quiet and looked over at me. Great, just what I needed: more attention drawn to myself.

He stopped and turned back to the counter with a smirk on his face. He tipped his cup in a goodbye gesture and then he was gone.

Five long hours later I finally got to walk out of the store into the bright sunlight. I hopped on the bus that took me out to the Malibu coast and dug in my purse for my iPod. A half an hour later I was sitting on my favorite strip of beach. I would never get used to this weather; my hometown was Forks, Washington where it rained every day. The fact that I could sit outside and not get drenched was still new to me, even six months after moving here.

I sat down in my favorite spot on the beach looking out at the water. I found myself occasionally looking up and down the beach. I couldn't help it. I was dying to know if he was going to show today. What was I going to say? I don't want to scare him away like a star struck fan by drooling all over him, but in all honesty the man is completely drool worthy.

After a while of scouting the beach, I laid back and propped my head up on my purse. I decided to play it cool and if he brought it up then I'd admit I figured out who he was. Maybe he wouldn't be freaked out that I knew. In fact, I'd bet he already knew that I knew. After all, I was probably the last person on the face of the earth to find out who he was.

The sun felt great on my face and I turned my music down so I could hear the waves hitting the shore. I don't know how long I laid there before I heard it.

"Bella… Bella…" a warm voice called.

"Huh?" I quickly covered my eyes after opening them to the bright afternoon sun. I sat up and blinked a few times before seeing Edward sitting to my right.

"You were sleeping…" he chuckled, "… and dreaming."

I covered my face in my hands, immediately embarrassed. "Oh god… what did I say?"

My father used to tell me I talked in my sleep, but I never believed him until I moved in with Alice. She mocked me from day one, playfully of course.

"It wasn't words, more of sounds," he informed me.

"Oh God..."

"Yeah... it sounded kind of like that," he laughed.

"Well, I'm officially humiliated," I moaned as I turned away from him to try to regain some composure. I tried to will away the heat I could feel on my cheeks.

"Oh, it's not that bad, you should hear my brother Emmett. He holds entire conversations with himself. So, it could be worse."

I turned to face him; thankfully he didn't appear to be laughing at my expense.

"Anyway," I steered the conversation away from my embarrassing sleep talking, "How was your day?"

"Eh, same old same old," he replied evasively looking out at the water. I didn't want to pry, so I let his answer go. We sat there in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the view.

"You want hang out sometime?" He looked at me, unsure of himself. I almost snorted out loud. Mister Perfect seems unsure of himself? Is that even possible?

I _wanted_ to hang out with him more; he seemed like a great guy. Then it hit me. Crap... I have to confess. Here comes the word vomit I'm so well known for back home. I rested my head in my hands and blurted out, "I know who you are," I lowered my voice to a whisper as if I didn't want anyone to hear my admission. I looked up at him and kept rambling, "I saw some magazine...The Star I think... Rose was reading it at the bar when I got there yesterday. I didn't know who you were so I had to ask her…" I finally had to stop to take a breath.

"Oh," he replied showing no emotion. He turned to look back out to the water ahead. Shit, I hope I hadn't offended him admitting to not knowing who he was. He turned back to me, suddenly set in a thought, "And how do you feel about that?"

Sitting upright, surprised he didn't already run for the hills, I answered, "I don't know really. I kinda thought you were cute before I found out who you were. And... I really like spending time with you." I blushed, knowing I sounded like a teenager.

This made him smile and a soft chuckle escaped his chest. "I kind of thought you were cute too. I mean I did kind of stalk you a little... I keep coming back here to spend time with you. I've started drinking coffee with ten words in the name just to spend some extra time with you." he admitted.

"Ha, well I guess we're even then," I laughed.

"So now that we have that settled, may I take you to dinner tonight?" he said winking.

"I might consider dinner, but only on one condition." I said, playing along with our banter.

Edward nodded is consent.

"I get to pick the restaurant."

"Oh," he looked down, his smile disappearing.

Seeing his face fall I quickly retracted my request. "I don't have to..."

"No, no... I'm just going to have to put some conditions on that demand. I can't just go anywhere. Unfortunately there are people out there," he pointed behind us towards L.A. "that follow me like a dog, and I don't want to get you caught up in that mess. It can get... scary sometimes."

Whew, at least it wasn't something horrible like he lived on a strict diet of sea kelp or something equally weird.

"I think I can handle that. The place I had in mind is a hole in the wall, nice and dark. I was actually worried you'd want to go to someplace fancy."

"Nah, I'm sick of fancy, let's go 'slumming'." he joked as he took my hand and helped me off the sand. He led me up to the street where his car was parked in the driveway of a new house.

"Do you normally park in strangers driveways?" I asked looking toward the black wrought iron gate blocking the entrance to the house.

He followed my gaze, "It's mine. Or it will be next week when they finally finish the kitchen."

I think my jaw hit the driveway. The house in front of me was monstrous, all new and shiny. If I wasn't aware of Edwards status before, this threw it in my face. "Oh." was all I could squeak out.

We got into the car and I stared at the gate and what I could see of the house behind it. "My brother Emmett is the architect, my mother is the interior designer and I basically said 'go to town'. They've been working on it for a year now, I just can't wait to finally see it finished."

I finally found my words: "It's beautiful." I turned to see him staring at me. I feel my cheeks redden at his intense gaze. We sat there and stared at each other for a minute, both lost in thought.

"Sorry," he stuttered and pulled out of the driveway. "So, where are we headed?"

"The Brass Rail. It's a small bar in Santa Monica." I gave him directions and we headed south on the PCH again. Before I knew it we were parking the car. Edward pulled his baseball hat out of the backseat and pulled it down on his head.

"Precautionary, it gives me a few seconds before people recognize me," he explained.

"Well, ya certainly fooled me!" I laughed.

Edward laughed along and climbed out of the car. Before I had a chance to get out he was there with my door open. "Thanks," I said, ducking my head. I've never had a guy open my door for me, unless it was my father. Edward really was a gentleman.

He followed me down the sidewalk, staying close but not close enough to attract attention. I walked into the restaurant first and asked for a table for two. Edward stood behind me with his eyes cast down. The hostess led us to a booth all the way in the back and left two menus on the table.

"You take this seat." Edward pointed to the one on the back wall facing the rest of the restaurant.

"Um... ok," I replied slightly confused as to why he wanted to face the wall.

We slid in the booth and he explained, "If they can't see my face, they don't know who I am. And that means we get to eat dinner in peace."

"Oh... I get it. You're good at this." Whew... and here I thought he was afraid to be seen with me.

"Yup, just another hazard of the job." He started looking at the menu and after a second looked up to see me staring at him. "Uh, aren't you going to take a look?"

"Nope, they've got the best cheese steaks in L.A." I answered with a smile.

"Cheese steak huh?"

"You betcha," I said taking his menu and putting it with mine. "Trust me."

Edward

We sat in that booth for hours, talking about everything from our families to our favorite books. It seemed like the list of things we had in common never ended.

The more time I spent with Bella, the more I liked her. She has this great smile, and her laugh is infectious. I even love the blush that creeps up her cheeks when she's embarrassed. It's so hard to tell what she's thinking; she always surprises me with the things that come out of her mouth.

The waitress kept making her presence known, to an annoying level. She kept staring at me, in a way that was more than just recognition; it was downright creepy. I made sure to keep my attention on Bella, so as not to give her any hope. She apparently didn't know how to take a hint. She even went so far as to put her name and phone number on the bottom of the receipt, with a heart drawn around it. I was quick to crumple up the receipt and leave it on the empty plates from our dinner. Did she really think I would accept her number when I was obviously there with someone else? I hate the way the tabloids portray me as a man-whore, and I hate even more that the general public believes that trash.

I made sure to keep Bella from seeing her pathetic attempts of acquiring a date. I'm used to women giving me their numbers, staring, even physically attacking me, but I had a feeling Bella would find it a little strange. Truth be told, I still find it strange, but I've come to realize it's part of my world and so- called fame. I've almost learned to deal with it.

"Looks like we're being kicked out," Bella said her eyes on the front of the restaurant behind me.

I looked around and saw the hostess turning around the 'closed' sign.

"I didn't realize it got that late," I said as we stood and headed toward the exit. I felt so comfortable with Bella I forgot to put my hat on, which doesn't seem like a big thing, but in my world it is.

I opened the door for Bella and we stepped out onto the sidewalk and were immediately met by blinding flashes of light. Here we go again.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

Bella

"Holy crap!"

Seeing all the cameras in our faces, I immediately wanted to run back into restaurant and hide in the booth with Edward forever. That was until Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders to protect me from the onslaught of questions and flashes being thrown at us from all directions. He tucked me in to his body and with a "come with me" whispered in my ear, directed us towards his car. I was so happy he took over in that instant; the yelling and bright lights were so overwhelming. Is this what he deals with on a daily basis? No wonder he seems so guarded and private.

Edward got us safely inside the Volvo. I never noticed before how dark the windows were tinted. I bet the paparazzi couldn't even see us from out there.

Running his hand through his bronze hair Edward turned to me and said, "I am so sorry about that. They didn't touch you did they?" Pure concern was etched all over his face.

"No, I'm pretty sure they couldn't have, the way you had your arm around me." I tried to reassure him of my safety by keeping it light. Apparently I didn't succeed.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that..." he looked down as his hands that were ringing in his lap.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that, it was nice." I blushed, "I felt completely safe in the middle of all that chaos, thanks to you."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for me," he continued to worry aloud.

"Edward, look at me," I said and he slowly turned to face me. "I had a great time with you tonight..."

"You did?"

"Of course, what made you think I didn't?" Was he insane?

He looked out the windshield before answering, "I don't know. I just feel like the paparazzi ruined our perfect getaway," he grimaced as he mentioned the paparazzi. It must really take a toll on him to have to deal with that all the time.

"They were a little unexpected, that's all. I really did have a great day with you." By this time we were already headed in the direction of my house. Edward seemed deep in thought, his eyebrows knit together and he kept tapping his chin with his forefinger.

"Do you have a driveway?" He asked as he looked at me. His face lit up by the dim light of the dashboard. I was immediately lost in a daydream of him by candlelight in a romantic restaurant. I was pulled from my dream by Edward clearing his throat.

"Uh, what?" I squeaked, causing Edward to laugh and repeat his question.

"Yeah, why?" I answered as I felt my cheeks turn crimson.

"Is there a garage?"

"Yes, it's in the backyard. Why?" I started to become really curious, what did it matter if I had a garage?

"Do you have a roommate?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust her?"

"Yea... It's Alice, from Starbucks. Why? What's up with the 20 questions?"

"I'm just trying to figure out a way of dropping you off without the guys following us knowing," he explained, looking in the rearview mirror.

"Oh" I said turning around to see who was following us. "How can you tell?" I asked. It just looked like regular traffic behind us to me.

"Watch this," he smirked as he quickly turned right onto a side street. Sure enough three cars followed us onto that street. He repeated this three more times, each time the cars followed quickly behind.

"Wow, I didn't even see them back there," I said as I turned back around in my seat.

"Yeah, you get to know their cars after a while."

"Isn't that creepy, people following you around all the time?" I shivered at the thought of someone following me.

"It's usually the same guys every night," he replied, "so it's not so bad. You get to know them after a while, and I've learned if you give them a little here and there they'll generally leave you alone. There are some that are more cut throat than others." It sounded like he didn't want to elaborate farther.

"Well, how about I call Alice and have her put her car in the street so you can use the driveway?" I suggested getting my phone out of my purse.

"Perfect." He gave me a panty-dropping smirk that I'm sure he must use for all the magazines. It was quickly becoming my favorite of his facial expressions. I called to relay the plans to Alice and she said everything would be ready for us by the time we got there.

A few minutes later I pointed out our house to Edward and without signaling he made a quick turn into our driveway, cut his headlights and pulled into the garage. Alice was standing in the shadows and closed the garage door before we had a chance to get out of the car.

"Thanks, Alice!" I said as I climbed out of the car and headed over to give her a hug.

"No prob. I like covert missions," she said as she aimed her gaze at Edward.

"Right, introductions, Alice this is Edward, Edward this is Alice." I said.

"Nice to meet you," he said shaking her hand, always the gentleman.

"You too... unlike my recluse roommate I've actually seen some of your movies, you're really good."

"Thanks." Edward replied shyly.

"Ok, now that's over with, how are we going to get out of the garage?" I asked.

"I'll go first," Alice said, "When it's clear I'll blink the back porch light once."

"When we come out of the garage, make sure the light is off. They won't be able to get a shot if the yard is dark," Edward explained.

"Sure" Ali said as she left the garage.

I looked out the window as Alice walked to the house, taking a good look down the driveway. I felt Edward come up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Ya know, I never did tell you that I had a great time tonight too." His soft breath brushed against my ear.

I turned my head to look back at him, and he was so close my nose skimmed his chin. His small stubble tickled me, causing a small giggle to escape my lips. He was right there... if I just leaned in a little bit we'd be kissing. The problem was once we started I don't know if I could stop myself. I didn't exactly want our first kiss to be me attacking him in my weird smelling garage.

"That's such a beautiful sound," he whispered and tucked my hair behind my ear.

From the corner of my eye I saw the porch light flash, causing me to blink and step back a little. "Um... the light." Wow, way to go, I sound like I can barely speak English. That's what this man did to me. But in my defense I was standing next to the hottest man in America and I was pretty sure he was about to kiss me. What was I thinking breaking that up?

"Right, we should head in there," he said, opening the door for me as Alice turned the light off so we could cross the backyard. I walked out and peeked down the driveway and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Edward was right behind me with his hand on my lower back. We crossed the yard and made it safely into the house without being seen.

We walked into the living room and sat down on the couch while Alice sat on the chair by the window. She already closed all the windows and curtains and locked the doors. "I don't think you need to go that far Alice, they're not going to walk right in the house," I joked. "Are they even out there?"

"There's a few cars parked on the street that aren't normally there," she said.

Edward got up and looked out. "Yup that's them."

"I bet it was the waitress," I blurted out.

"What?" he looked completely confused by my random thought.

"The waitress," I repeated. "I bet it was her who tipped off those guys," I said pointing out the window.

"Her?"

"You didn't see her looking at you?" I snorted. "It was rather pathetic," I continued to explain to Alice. "She all but stripped and laid down on the table for him."

"She wasn't that bad."

"She tried to give you her number!"

"What a skank." Alice chimed in.

"I've learned to block that kind of stuff out." Edward sighed as he sat down on the couch next to me.

"How long will they be out there?" Alice changed the subject as she peered out the window at the guys camped out on our curb.

"It's hard to say. Some will stay as long as I do, others will get bored and leave," he explained. "But because they don't know who you are, they will probably stay to see when or if I leave. If you're really lucky, they won't stay after I leave to follow you tomorrow morning."

"Me?" I squeaked. "Why?" I jumped up and began pacing. I always pace when I'm nervous. Charlie still swears I wore a hole in the carpet the night before my high school prom. I haven't lived that one down yet.

"Because you, dear Bella, went out on a date with America's most eligible bachelor," Alice chimed in from across the room. This stopped me dead in my tracks, so Edward pulled me onto his lap.

"I know we really didn't get to talk about this, but I had a really great time with you tonight, and I'd love to go out with you again," he said as he pushed my hair behind my ear. 

"Me too," I admitted feeling like a school girl.

"Are you sure? Those guys out there are a part of my life. Do you really want to have them following you around?" he asked. "I'll do all I can to keep us away from them, but eventually they're going to find us and it will likely be more cameras than there were tonight."

"They don't matter. It might sound cliché, but I like you and you seem to like me, so…" I trailed off.

"You got that right."

"Well aren't you two just cute?" Alice chimed in from across the room.

"I'm just going to go and give you two some privacy." Alice winked and walked out of the room.

"Subtle, Alice" I mumbled.

"I see why you two get along so well," Edward joked.

"Yeah, she's like the more vocal version of me."

"You can say that again," he chuckled.

"This seems kind of weird under the circumstances, but can I have your number?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. I can't believe we've already been on a date and had our first encounter with the tabloids, it's like we've done things backwards." Edward picked me up off his lap and sat me on the couch so he could get his phone out of his pocket.

"Sorry, I was probably squishing you." I took his phone from him and started to put my number in.

"Not at all; I liked having you on top of me."

I quirked my eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh, uh… well yeah…" he stumbled along.

"I'm just kidding," I said as I handed his phone back. "You walked right into that one."

"I did." He replied looking at my number in his phone, "Why just 'B'?"

I shrugged. "In case anyone sees your phone, they don't know who 'B' is."

"You're getting pretty good at this stuff," he complimented me as he put his arm around my shoulder.

"I've got a good teacher."

An hour later we were still sitting on the couch, his arm around me, my head resting on his shoulder. We basically played a game of 20 questions. It started off with innocent questions about our past and quickly morphed into our most embarrassing sexual encounters. Luckily for me he had a ton of hilarious stories from the many movie sets he's been on, and we never got to my experiences. I had tears in my eyes when he told me about the director that yelled at him because he had an obvious erection in the church scene.

I was just about to get up and check to see if the paparazzi were still camped out on my curb when he gently took my chin and turned it towards his face. Once again we were nose to nose, this time on a comfortable couch.

I looked into his now dark green eyes and watched as he looked down to my lips in silent question. I bit my lower lip and nodded slightly.

We were just about to make out like teenagers when I heard Alice sing, "Oh Bella!"

I reluctantly tore my eyes from Edward's and rested my forehead against his. "Yes Alice," I rasped as I struggled to catch my breath. We hadn't even kissed yet and he had me all out of breath. Alice didn't answer me right away, so I turned towards the door where I found her staring at us. I knew that look on her face. It was the 'you're-going-to-tell-me-everything-later-whether-you-like-it-or-not' look.

Edward pulled back and started to fidget like we were caught with our fingers in the cookie jar.

"Come on in Alice, we're just sitting here talking," I said patting the couch for her.

"Uh huh," she said, completely not believing a word I said.

I looked at Edward for some backup, but from the smirk on his face, it didn't look like I was going to get any. "No really, we were just talking."

"With your faces centimeters apart? That's pretty impressive," Alice teased.

Busted. "Fine, believe what you want," I huffed turning a nice shade of red. Alice loved to tease me; it was her goal in life to see how embarrassed she could make me.

Alice turned to leave but stopped and poked her head back in the room with a wicked grin on her face, "The condoms are in the second drawer on the left."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to get this out, it just didn't want to come to me, and yet it's my longest chapter yet. Go figure.

Hope you enjoy, don't forget to review!

SM owns everything twilight, I own the crazy things I come up with.

**Ch 4**

Edward

"Thank you."

The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about it. I usually watch the things I say, after all; you never know when someone from the press is listening. But in the few short days I've known her, Bella has broken down my carefully constructed walls and has brought the real Edward out to play.

Instantly, Alice had a Cheshire grin, and Bella turned to me with her mouth hanging open. Apparently they didn't expect me to have a sense of humor.

Judging from the color on her cheeks, Bella was either going to kill Alice or die of mortification; I'm not sure which. The second those words left Alice's mouth, Bella turned a shade of red I've never seen before. I couldn't help myself, it was too much fun. When she heard me chuckle, Bella immediately started stammering about her "obnoxious roommate."

"Hey," I said, getting her to look up from her hands in her lap, "Don't worry about it." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"It's just so embarrassing. I mean why doesn't she get out the naked baby pictures while she's at it?"

"Naked, huh?" I wagged my eyebrows playfully. Her cheeks that had started to turn back to normal quickly became tomatoes again.

"Ok, so what's the plan?" she asked.

"Well, you can get something out of that drawer…" I began nodding towards where Alice said the condoms were.

"That's not what I meant!" She slapped my shoulder playfully.

"Oh, you mean with them?" I chucked nodding toward the front yard.

"Yeah… I mean what should I expect? Am I going to see myself on a magazine at the checkout counter of the grocery store?"

"Maybe, but most likely not the cover," I said. "We will be on a lot of blogs and celebrity sites tomorrow though. The paparazzi get paid by the shot, and I'm going to guess they got quite a few at the restaurant."

"Ok," she said slowly, trying to wrap her head around our situation.

"Don't worry about them," I said pulling her into a hug, "They'll get their story and then move on to the next big thing."

She nodded her understanding and tried to stifle a yawn by burying her face in my chest. "Sorry."

"No, that's ok. I should… uh… let you get to bed." Not that I wanted to leave, but I don't have the balls to ask her if she wants me to stay. This is where women confused me, if they wanted you to stay, they'd say "stay", right?

Her face fell, but she quickly recovered, trying to keep me from seeing her disappointment. Maybe she did want me to stay? I bet we're both too chicken-shit to bring it up.

"Yeah, uh, Alice and I have to open the store early tomorrow," she said getting up from the couch. I followed her through the kitchen to the backdoor. "I'll come out with you and close the garage after you leave."

I continued to follow her out of the house and into the garage. Before I got to my car I took her hand and pulled her to me. I wasn't going to be a chicken when it came to telling her how I felt.

"I really had a good time with you," I repeated looking into her eyes. I love her eyes, they say so much about her. You can read her whole mind through her beautiful, brown eyes.

"Me too."

"I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'm done at Starbucks at one."

"Great, maybe we can get dinner again tomorrow night?"

"I'd like that."

"Goodnight, Bella," I said, leaning down to finally kiss the beautiful woman in my arms. She tilted her head just right and my lips pressed gently to hers. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was perfect. I pulled back slightly to gauge her reaction. Her smile told me what I wanted to know; she enjoyed it too. I quickly pecked her lips once more before she finally whispered, "Good night," and pulled out of our embrace.

She stepped to the door and waited for me to back out of the garage. Once I was out she waved and closed the door. As I backed down the drive I saw her run across the dark yard and into the house. When I got to the street the paparazzi got a few shots of my car leaving but thanks to my tinted windows they couldn't see me. I drove home that night happier than I've been in a while.

Bella

Our first kiss ended up being in my stinky garage after all. But it was worth it. Man, can he kiss! If he made me weak in my knees after a simple kiss like that, imagine what he could do with his tongue! My dreams were going to be vivid.

After he left, I ran right into the house and up to Alice's room. I didn't even bother knocking, just walked right in. That's the kind of friendship we have… no secrets.

"You do realize paybacks a bitch, right?" I asked, flopping down on her bed.

"That's what you say all the time," she replied not looking up from her blood red toes she was painting.

"I'm just waiting for the right time to strike."

Once she finished her foot she put the nail polish away and faced me with that look again. All it took was for her to raise one eyebrow and I was putty in her hands.

"We kissed. In the garage. That's it."

"I knew it!" she started bouncing up and down.

"We have to get up at the butt crack of dawn, so I'm going to bed. You'll get all the details tomorrow," I said getting up and heading across the hall to my room.

"I'll hold you to that!" Alice called after me.

The next morning we were up before the sun and out the door to start our early shift at Starbucks. Correction, Alice was up before the sun. I, on the other, had had to be dragged out of bed. You could say I'm not a morning person.

As we walked to Alice's car, a man got out of a gray van across the street.

"Isabella!" he shouted.

Hearing my name, I instinctually looked up, and right into the lens of his camera. Before I had a chance to react he snapped my picture. Shit, they did stay all night!

"So you're dating Edward Cullen?" he asked, following us the short distance to Alice's car.

"Uh… no comment?" I mean what was I supposed to say? Did Edward want to keep us a secret? I was barely awake; I couldn't deal with this yet.

Alice grabbed my hand and all but pushed me into the car. Once she was in and we were on the road Alice turned to me, "Well, he was annoying."

I didn't know what to say. That was nothing compared to the crowd of photographers we encountered last night, but I still didn't like him sitting and waiting outside my house for me to come out. That's just a little weird. I'm not even the celebrity; I'm a barista for heaven's sake! I must have gotten lost in thought because before I knew it we were pulling in the parking lot of Starbucks.

"Alright girl, let's get to work," Alice sounded way too chipper for this ungodly hour of the morning. There is one perk to working in a coffee shop: lots of caffeine to wake me up in the morning. Thankfully, Alice always seems to know what drink I need each day to get me up and running. Today it was coffee straight up, no messing around with flavors or additives. Just straight caffeine, please.

Our morning seemed to go quickly. I was hoping Edward would stop in for a drink, but no such luck. I did notice there were a few people hanging out on the sidewalk most of the morning. Only when a guy I didn't recognize walked in and they took his picture did I realize they were paparazzi.

"Hey Alice, did you see those guys out there?" I said as she got the actor's order ready.

"No, what guys?"

Before I had a chance to answer, I was cut off. "You must be the infamous Bella," the guy in line said.

"Uh…" I blushed wondering who this guy was and how he knew me… and why did he call me "infamous?"

"I'm Jacob Black; I'm working with Edward on _Face Punch_."

That must be the new movie he's shooting. We haven't really talked much about his work.

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you."

"You too. Nice to finally put a face to the reason why Eddie's skipping out of the set as soon as he's done shooting," Jacob went on. "We all guessed he had someone hidden away somewhere, but no one knew for sure."

"Oh uh well… I… I uh… wait, how did you know my name?"

"You haven't seen it yet?" He must have seen my confused expression because he got his phone out and after a second of pushing buttons he showed me the front page of one of the hottest celebrity tabloids. There I was with Edward's arm around my shoulders walking out of The Brass Rail. From the angle the picture was taken at, it looked like he was kissing my ear.

"You're all over the place this morning." He explained there were many more sites with pictures just like these.

I must have stared off into space because the next thing I knew I saw his hand waving in front of my face. Startled, I looked up at him and handed his phone back. "Sorry."

"No problem. Hey, are you all right?" he asked looking kind of concerned.

"No… yes… I dunno. I mean I'm no one. Why do they care about me? Why are they out there?" I pointed out the front door where the photographers now had their noses pressed up against the glass like we were animals in a zoo. Weird.

"Here's the thing. It's weird the first time you see a picture of yourself in a magazine, I get that. Freaked me out the first time too, but it's no big deal. It's their job, just like sneaking me extra whipped cream is yours." He smirked. "You just have to ignore them and not let them get to you. They'll probably ask you a ton of questions, and say a bunch of stupid stuff, but you don't have to answer them at all. In fact, it's probably best you don't. They tend to take what you say and make it sound like what they want to hear."

I took another look out the window to the guys currently sitting at one of our tables. Turning back to Jacob I said, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"You're just going to have to remember to watch your mouth," Alice chimed in next to me.

"Yeah, I have a tendency to tell people off when they provoke me," I admitted.

"Yup, definitely going to have to watch that," Jacob agreed. "Well thanks for the drink, ladies; I have to head to the set. Have a good one." He turned and started out of the shop.

"Thanks again, Jacob!" I called after him.

When he made it onto the sidewalk, the photographers got up quickly and followed him to his car parked near the front of the shop. As he got in he waved to them and was off. Jacob made it seem so easy. Maybe it wasn't so bad to deal with them. Just like Edward said, give them a shot and they'll leave you alone.

By the time our shift was done, there were only a couple guys still sitting outside waiting. Luckily for me they didn't know about the employee entrance, so Alice and I slipped out the back and into the car without being seen.

We headed towards home and when we got there were glad to see no one lying in wait on our street. Once inside Alice headed over to check the messages on the machine.

"That's strange," Alice said as she started to listen to the messages. "They were all hang-ups."

I grabbed the handset and looked at the caller-ID. "There's a ton of calls here... and they're all different numbers."

"I bet it was them!" Alice started over towards the windows. "They were calling to see if we'd answer and talk to them."

"They saw us leave though," I said as I started to make a sandwich. Food always calms me; I swear I should have been a chef.

"Yeah, that guy did, but the rest of the tabloids didn't," she countered.

"You want one?" I asked pointing to my sandwich. I needed to get rid of this nervous energy.

"Yeah, thanks." Alice seemed deep in thought while she got us two sodas from the fridge.

I finished making our lunch and we sat down at the small kitchen table to eat. Alice still had this strange look on her face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm not sure… I just have this strange feeling."

"Is this another of your psychic feelings?" I joked.

"You weren't laughing the last time I had a feeling like this."

"That's only because it got me the job at Midnight Sun. You had this vision of us best friends with a blonde in a bar… it was weeks and dozens of bars till we found Rose!"

"Right now it's not such a happy feeling. More of a 'something's gonna happen' feeling," Alice elaborated between bites of her sandwich.

One thing I've learned since moving to LA is to listen to Alice; she tends to be right about her feelings. We sat there both in thought eating our lunches.

"Ok, let's forget about this. Let's go out tonight and have fun!" Alice all of a sudden popped up from her chair and started clearing our dishes.

"What made you change your mind?" I asked.

"It's just a feeling. Nothing concrete. For all we know it could be that I will spill wine on my favorite white shirt."

"Ok, Edward is going to call; we were going to get dinner. Maybe we can meet you at Midnight Sun?" I suggested.

"Great! I'll call Rose and let her know we're coming. I bet she can save a table for us." Alice was already running up to her room to pick out an outfit for the night.

~~dbeyr~~

A few hours later found me completely relaxed after a long, hot shower. I wrapped a towel around my hair and another around my body. I walked into my room to find Alice on my bed waiting for me.

"It's about time. What were you doing in there? Teasing the kitty?"

I think my jaw dropped. Why hadn't I thought of doing that? Don't guys usually spank the monkey before a big date? Who says girls can't do the same thing? I quickly glanced at the clock and realized I didn't have enough time before Edward picked me up. Damn.

"No, thank you. You know I prefer 'Buzz-Buzz'." Alice had gotten me my favorite toy for my birthday last year. She so aptly named him 'Buzz-Buzz'.

I dropped my towel and began getting dressed by throwing on a lace panty and bra set.

"Whatever works for ya," Alice laughed. "Here's what I think will work best with you _assets_."

Before I knew it, I was dressed in a hot pair of skinny jeans, a low-cut tank top, and my favorite pair of stilettos. I quickly threw on some neutral make up and dried my hair in soft waves that landed below my shoulders.

Alice came back in a sexy red halter dress and black stiletto's, making her look taller than her small five foot frame.

At exactly six pm, a large SUV pulled into the driveway. The doorbell rang a few seconds later, and I opened the door to find a tall man with long blonde hair on our doorstep.

"Miss Bella, I'm Jasper. Edward is in the car. We brought my Escalade to throw off the media."

I looked out, and sure enough there was Edward in the backseat of the big black SUV. "Ok, let me just get Alice and we'll be right out."

Jasper nodded and headed back to the car. I turned around to find Alice standing there with her mouth open.

"Uh... Are you ok?" I asked.

Instantly, Alice was snapped out of her trance and started blabbering a mile a minute. The only thing I understood was, "Why didn't you tell me his brother was that hot?"

Apparently Alice had just laid eyes on her future husband. She didn't want to keep him waiting any longer, so we grabbed our purses and headed out to the car. I climbed in the back to sit next to Edward, leaving Alice to accompany her Mr. Right up front.

"Hey."

Edward took my hand and kissed the back of it before replying, "Hi."

I couldn't help but smile at his gesture. We were brought out of our bubble by Jasper asking where we were headed,

"Let's try Vinny's," Edward suggested. He looked at me to see if that was alright and I nodded my acceptance.

"Ok, Vinny's it is," Jasper said as he pulled us out into traffic. Conversation in the car flowed freely and before I knew it we were pulled up to the front of the restaurant. The front door was about five feet from the car, and a valet was very quick in opening our door and ushering us into the building.

We were escorted to a table in the corner, and before we had a chance to place an order there was a waitress at the table with a tray of drinks. I just about jumped in my seat when my favorite drink was placed before me.

"Um…" I couldn't help but stare at the mouth watering strawberry daiquiri.

"The bartender, Taylor, has a knack for knowing what you want," Edward explained. "Five years running, and he hasn't been wrong yet."

I took a sip, and couldn't help but moan. It was the best daiquiri I've ever had. It had the right ratio of whipped cream to frozen alcoholic goodness. I took my finger and scooped up some of the frothy white cream on top. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward staring at my hand as I brought it to my mouth and sucked the cream off my finger. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard him moan as I enjoyed the yummy dairy topping.

Between drinks and the best deep dish pizza I've ever had, dinner flew by. Alice and I went to touch up our make-up while the guys took care of the check. Jasper met us by the front door, having had the valet already get the car.

"We'll walk out first, and then Edward will follow," he instructed as the big SUV pulled up to the curb.

Jasper led the way for Alice and myself out to the car, walking though the paparazzi waiting on the sidewalk. Fortunately, they didn't recognize any of us and we made it into the car without incident. Edward on the other hand wasn't so lucky. As soon as he stepped out of the restaurant the flashes were going off. He ran his hand through his hair as he quickly made his way to the car. I threw open the door and he quickly clambered in the backseat.

"You ok, bro?" Japer asked as he pulled away from the curb.

"Yeah, I'm just glad they didn't give you guys any problems." Edward leaned towards me and placed a quick kiss on my cheek.

A few minutes later and we were pulling up to Midnight Sun. Alice volunteered to go let Rosalie know we were here, and returned quickly with her favorite bouncer holding the door open. Leave it to Alice to get us an escort into the club I already work at. It was a good plan though, because as soon as Edward stepped out of the car, the short line started yelling to get his attention. He threw them a small wave and then gave me his hand to help me out of the car. Jasper went to park the car as the three of us quickly ducked inside.

"Rose has the red booth all set up for us!" Alice yelled over the music. She led us right past the bar where we waved at Rose as she mixed drinks, and back to the semiprivate area known as the red booth. The round booth was large enough to fit ten people at and entirely covered in red velvet. It reminded me of something out of a horrible porn movie.

I slid in the booth till I hit the middle. Edward followed me and Alice came to sit next to me. Just after we were seated, Rose brought over a bottle of champagne and slid in next to Edward.

"Hi, I'm Rose." She gave him a quick once over.

"Hi, Rose, I'm Edward."

"You know, I thought you looked familiar," Rose joked. And that's one of the reasons we get along so well with Rose: she can joke around and make anyone feel comfortable. Rose poured a few glasses of champagne and passed them around. Just as we were about to toast, Jasper walked up to the table with another guy.

"Look who I found!"

"Hey Em!" Edward fist-bumped the guy who slid in the booth next to Jasper and Alice. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"Introductions, please," Rose insisted.

"This is my brother Emmett. Emmett, this is Rose, Bella, and Alice," Edward quickly introduced everyone at the table.

"Nice to meet you Emmett," Rose piped up, showing off her assets as she leaned across the table to shake his hand.

Oh boy, I knew where this was going. When Rose wanted something, she got it, and from the looks of it she wanted Emmett. Bad.

Edward and Emmett discussed the timeline for finishing the house while Jasper and Alice seemed to be lost in their own world.

Rose and Emmett hit it off quickly, Emmett coming over to her side of the booth to be closer to her. I sat back and surveyed our surroundings. All of our friends were getting along great.

I leaned over to whisper to Edward, "We really should become matchmakers."

His light chuckle made me smile as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a soft kiss. It only lasted a second, but it was enough for Emmett to yell, "Get a room!"

I felt my cheeks heat up and Edward pecked my lips one last time. "Ya know, we could, if my house was finished…"

I really didn't think I could get more embarrassed. Thankfully it was then that Alice decided she needed to use the restroom and asked me to go with her. We left the table and were on our way to the bathroom when she ran into someone she knew. "You go ahead, I'll be right behind you," she called as she ran off to see her friend.

I waited in line, and when it was finally my turn Alice was still nowhere to be seen. Yeah well, you snooze you lose. I quickly did my business, checked my hair and left the room.

I was on my way back to the table when I stopped dead in my tracks. There between the bathrooms and the table was Edward, and for a second I thought he was alone. That's when I saw two feminine arms wrap around him and massaged the back of his neck. He ducked his head down to tell her something, and she let out this horrible laugh that I was sure I would never forget. They stood there talking for a minute, and I started to wonder who this girl is that's touching my boyfriend. Wait… is he my boyfriend? Is that what we are? I don't know, but I certainly didn't like to see her hands all over him. The green monster was rearing its ugly head.

I was just about to make my presence known when she put her hand on his chest and leaned into him. The last thing I saw before I saw red was the blonde witch raise up to kiss Edward.

My heart was racing, my breathing felt ragged… I needed to get out of there. I quickly ducked into the back room of the bar and came back out right by our table. I was never so happy to know the ins and outs of Midnight Sun.

"Rose, can you give me my purse?"

"Yeah, what's wrong, you look like you saw a ghost," she said as she handed me my clutch.

"Uh... I just gotta get out of here." I tried to keep my voice down so no one realized what was going on, but Alice must have heard me.

"You need me to come with you?" she asked.

"No, you stay and have fun. I'm just gonna go home," I said as I backed away from the table. I should have known I'd never make it out. I took one more step and backed into a rock hard chest.

"Hey babe, I waited for you, but didn't see you come out of the bathroom," he said wrapping his arms around my waist.

I am horrible at trying to hold my temper; I whipped around and started yelling.

"That's probably cuz that blonde bitch had her tongue down your throat!"

He backed up and looked like a smacked him across the face.

"Wait, what blonde?" Alice asked from behind us.

"You missed it," I turned to explain to the group. "I came out of the bathroom and there was a tall blonde wrapping herself around him."

Alice shot Edward the look. Apparently even he was powerless to 'the look.'

"The blonde Bella so lovingly refers to is Tanya Denali." he explained as if that made all the sense in the world.

Everyone at the table seemed to understand what he was saying, yet I seemed to be left in the dark. All I wanted to know was why they seemed so close.

I gave him a look that screamed, "Yeah, so?"

"Wow, you weren't kidding, were ya? You really haven't seen any of my movies?" he asked.

"No." What does it matter what movies he's been in?

"Well, that's Tanya. We were in the Sunrise movies together. Four movies based off a popular book series…"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"She's an actress. We worked together for years on those movies."

Rose jumped to my aid. "Didn't you have a thing with her?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath. "No, that was all publicity for the films. And apparently I'm never going to live it down."

He turned towards me, and took my hands in his. "She doesn't mean anything, never did, never will."

I could barely look him in the face, here I was basically accusing him of cheating and the man was just talking to an old coworker.

I let him pull me into a hug and he nuzzled his head in my neck. "You know you mean everything to me, right?"

I couldn't help the smile that graced my face. "Well, when you put it that way…"

This time I leaned up and kissed him. Kissing Edward was amazing. His lips were soft, and his tongue felt like silk as it gently massaged mine. Our kiss quickly escalated and once again Emmett made a comment about getting a room.

Edward broke away from our kiss, leaving me breathless. He leaned over to Emmett and they had a quick conversation. I couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but Emmett handed Edward a set of keys.

"I'll make sure they don't show up before noon tomorrow," Emmett said as Edward took my hand and whispered in my ear that we were leaving.

I waved goodbye to the table and nodded when Alice yelled, "Call me!"

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders, his nose nuzzling my ear as we made it to the front of the bar. Edward handed the valet a ticket and we waited inside for the car to be brought around.

"Emmett is going to make sure everyone gets home. We're taking Jaspers car."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The only place we can be alone and no one knows who we are," he cryptically answered.

The valet returned with the SUV and held the door for us as we walked outside… right into the paparazzi's focus.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:It's been forever, but here's the next chapter, I now have a clue where I'm going with this and it's going to be a great ride!

SM owns everything twilight, I own the stuff I come up with.

**Edward**

Thankfully, the bouncer standing at the door saw the paparazzi swarm us and stepped in.

"Ok guys, back up!" he barked, as he escorted us the few feet to the car.

Fortunately, they listened and moved out of the way. I helped Bella into the passenger seat, and she called out, "Thanks Jake!" as I closed the door.

The bouncer was right next to me still and motioned for me to follow him. He led me around to the drivers side and made sure no one got too close to the car. Once I was safely inside I rolled down the window and said, "Thanks, man," as I pulled away from the curb.

"Sorry about that..."

"It's no biggie," she replied.

"You're amazing, ya know that?" I asked in awe.

Bella looked down at her hands, but I could see a hint of her blush before she let her hair fall in her face.

I didn't get to concentrate on her for too long before I drew my attention back to the road. Last thing I wanted was to wrap us around a telephone pole.

We were headed up the Pacific Coast Highway when Bella turned to me.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," I replied. "I promise to have you home...sometime tomorrow."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her surprised look.

"But I didn't bring an overnight bag."

"I didn't really plan this, I just figured it would be somewhere we could go to avoid the media," I replied, hoping she didn't think I was just trying to get in her pants. Although, I have to admit, those pants were driving me crazy all night.

I pulled into the driveway and put the security code Emmett gave me into the keypad. Seconds later the gates swung open, and I continued up to the house. The landscaping was done; Esme already things like linens and dishes; Emmett said all the guys had to do yet was install the granite countertop that was being delivered tomorrow. When I reached the front entrance, I put the car in park and I looked over to see Bella's mouth hanging open.

"Are you trying to catch flies?"

She turned to me with the most amazed look on her face. It took her a few seconds to speak.

"It's just... wow..." she trailed off as she looked back at the stone and marble entranceway.

I have to admit, it's a bit much. But what single(ish) guy needs 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms? Now the hot tub I understand. There's nothing like coming home after twelve hours on set and soaking the day away.

I exited the car and walked around to open the door for Bella. She took my hand as I helped her from the passenger seat.

I kissed the back of her hand and pulled her with me to the front door.

"You're the first person I want to show my house to." The second the words left my mouth I regretted them... they sounded so corny. But apparently Bella didn't feel the same.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and I could see a faint blush on her cheeks. I put the key in the door and she followed me into the foyer. I took a quick look around, to the right is the formal dining room, in front of us is the curved marble staircase that leads to the second floor, and to the left is the family room. If you go around the staircase you enter the kitchen, the breakfast bar, and the main entrance to the patio and pool area. I brought my attention back to Bella, who was still looking around.

"It's a lot to take in, I know."

Her head whipped around, her eyes as big as saucers. She finally blinked as if I brought her out of her daze and chuckled, "A lot is an understatement... it's absolutely amazing!"

"That's Esme for ya."

We toured the downstairs, ending up in the kitchen, which was the only room that wasn't finished. Even the living room had furniture and a tv already installed and ready to go. The house I had been renting came furnished, perfect for the young bachelor who doesn't want to deal with things like matching furniture. Esme took it upon herself to take care of all the furnishings for the new house, keeping my taste in mind.

The kitchen was missing countertops and the appliances had to be put in yet, something Emmett said would only take a couple hours.

We headed upstairs and the first place I showed her was my sanctuary, the library.

"There aren't that many books yet," I explained, the shelve sitting empty and mocking me. "I've gotta get my collection from Esme's basement."

The 6 bedrooms were mostly empty, except for a bed and dresser in each. I didn't see why they even needed that. When was I going to have that many people staying here? Did I even know that many people? But, Esme insisted.

The last stop was the master suite. "Save the best for last," Esme always said.

I was glad I went with her to pick out this furniture. As soon as we walked in, I felt home. This was me.

The California King bed was covered in the softest sheets we could find, topped by a navy silk comforter. The furniture was masculine, the walls a slate gray.

Bella walked around, her hand trailing along the soft comforter. She stopped and looked out the wall of windows that overlooked the pool and the Pacific.

"I bet sunsets will be beautiful from up here."

"Not as beautiful as you."

She actually made a humph sound. I didn't realize girls really did that.

I came up behind her and gently placed my hands on her hips to let her know I was there.

She tilted her head back and gave me a little smirk. "That better not be from one of your movies."

"No, that was all me."

"Good, cuz I liked it." She turned herself around in my arms and leaned back against the window. The look on her face told me what I wanted to know, but I checked, just to make sure.

"Stay the night?"

"I thought I already was."

My hands roamed from her hips up to her shoulders and back down, grazing her breasts ever so slightly with each pass. I noticed a small shiver at the contact.

"I just wanted to make sure..." I trailed off, hoping she wanted this as much as I did.

Bella shut me up with a finger to my lips. I started to explain myself and was once again rendered speechless by the raise of her eyebrow telling me to shut up.

"There's no where else I'd rather be." As the words left her mouth, she slowly started unbuttoning my shirt from the bottom up. Her eyes never left mine, telling me exactly what she wanted without saying a single word.

When she had my shirt completely open, my hands left her waist to shrug it from my shoulders.

I brought my hands back to her waist, this time grabbing the bottom of her shirt and tugging upwards. Bella pushed her back off the window and lifted her arms as I slowly peeled it up and over her head. The sight before me was one of the hottest things I've ever seen. Bella in a heart stopping see through lace bra, tight as hell pants and shoes that will star in my dreams for months.

"You are so beautiful," I whisper as I lean in to kiss her neck.

"You're not so bad yourself," she breathed out, followed by a chuckle as I found a ticklish spot by her ear.

Bella made the mistake of leaning back on the window again, this time as her back hit the cold glass she sucked in a deep breath and arched towards me. I couldn't help but palm her breasts. It was like they were calling my name. By this time my dick was standing at attention and saluting her amazing body.

My lips never left her neck. Her leg came up to hitch around my hip, giving her a better angle to grind into me. Her hands came up and fisted my hair, pulling my attention from her neck back to her lips.

I'm pretty sure we kissed against that window for hours. By the time I pulled her towards the bed her lips were red and swollen, and we were both gasping for breath. The backs of my knees hit the mattress, and I sat down, bringing her perfect little belly button into my line of vision. I looked up and found her staring at me. My eyes never left hers as I slowly leaned in to lick her belly button. As soon as my tongue touched her, her eyes rolled back and the sexiest moan escaped her lips.

I pulled away and let my hands slowly slide down her legs. When I reached her shoes I pulled her foot up onto my lap, admiring the sexy lines.

"Next time I want to leave those on," I said as I took one off, then the other, setting them next to the bed.

"Mister Cullen, I never knew you had a foot fetish."

"No, just a Bella fetish."

"Good to know," she said as she pushed me onto my back and slowly crawled up me. She sat, straddling my waist and I had the perfect view as she took her bra off. I thought her breasts in her bra were amazing, but to feel them with nothing in between her skin and mine, was the best thing in the world. I palmed and pinched them, all the while keeping an eye on her reactions. The way she responded to every touch was mesmerizing. I sat up and sucked her right nipple into my mouth and her gasp in response made my aching dick even harder.

I slipped my hand in her panties and found her complete soaked.

"A little excited, are we?"

"I could say the same about you." She grabbed my dick and squeezed in emphasis.

I slipped a finger in her and I couldn't believe how tight she was. For a minute I was afraid she was a virgin, but then remembered her telling me her first time was anything but spectacular. I planned on making up for that tonight.

Bella wiggled out of her panties and tossed them to the floor. I lifted my hips and she helped me pull my boxers off. They landed somewhere on the floor too.

I kissed up her neck and pulled back to see her face.

"Do I need a ..." Is there any good way to ask that question? I've never found it if there is.

"No, I'm on the pill...unless..."

"I'm all clean."

"Good, me too."

I went back to kissing her, placing myself at her entrance. She must have felt me there because before I could ask her if she was ready, she bucked her hips up and I slid part way in.

I pushed slightly and was all the way in. I knew Bella was a small girl, but I never thought she'd be that tight.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I rested my forehead on hers.

"Yeah, you're just a bit big, gimme a second."

She wiggled around for a few seconds, almost trying to find the perfect angle, and when she did she nodded her head and nudged me on.

It took all the restraint I had not to be too rough with her. I know I'm on the large side, and I didn't want to hurt her.

Once we found our groove, her foot came up to hook around my back, opening herself to me farther.

By all means, I'm no virgin, but the angle and how tight she was made me afraid I was going to become a minute man. She just felt so amazing.

When I was close, I could tell she was as well, her forehead scrunched up and she had a look of concentration on her face that was just adorable.

"I'm almost...ugh..." I couldn't even finish my thought... that was how good it was.

"Me too," she moaned.

I slipped my hand between us and just as I was about to come I began rubbing her clit. Bella arched her back, and I felt her muscles clamp down on me. But what sent me over the edge was her screaming my name as she came. That was the hottest thing I've ever heard.

From then on I knew this woman owned me.

a/n: Please review! ~Jen


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey guys, hope you like the next chapter, it's a little short, but the fun stuff is right around the corner. Stick with me! And don't forget to review!

Ch 6

Bella

I woke up to the best thought ever: I just had sex with Edward Cullen. And not just any sex, but super-hot-mind-blowing-best-sex-of-my-life sex. And judging from the hardness poking my back, he's ready for round 2.

I was lying on my side, his arms wrapped around me, his breath even on my shoulder. I snuggled back into his embrace and felt him sigh.

"Mmmm... good morning," he murmured.

"Morning," I replied turning around in his arms.

Edward placed a soft kiss on my forehead, his smile radiating in the morning light.

"What are your plans for the day?"

"You mean besides dishing all the details of last night to Rose and Alice?" I joked... somewhat.

He chuckled slightly and mumbled something about girls and gossip that I couldn't quite make out.

"I have a fun filled day of laundry and grocery shopping," I said. "I know, my life is oh so glamorous."

We laid there kissing for quite a while. Edward had just rolled me on top of him, and I sat up to straddle him when we were interrupted.

"Yo, Bro!" Emmett yelled.

Edward groaned and looked at his watch. "He's early... he's never early..."

"I know you're up there!" he continued to bellow from downstairs.

"Maybe if we ignore him he'll go away," I suggested, really wanting to get back to what we were doing.

"You guys have 5 minutes to get down here, or I'm coming up there!"

I groaned and rolled off of Edward's chest. Clearly the moment was lost. Stupid cock-blocking blockhead.

Edward sat up and put his feet on the floor, rubbing his face. "He means business. He walked in on his roommate in college numerous times."

"In that case, I'm getting dressed." I grabbed my underwear and clothes and made a beeline for the bathroom. When I was done, Edward was nowhere to be seen, so I decided to head downstairs. I found Edward and Emmett, three coffees and a box of donuts sitting on the island in the unfinished kitchen.

I walked over to Edward, who put his arm around me. Once I was snuggled against his body and had a sip of coffee, Emmett finally spoke.

"Ok, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you two need to see this."

He slowly slid a tabloid across the counter to us. It was this morning's copy of "Moon," one of the sleaziest tabloids out there.

"Em, you know not to believe everything you read, right?" Edward asked barely looking at the rag.

"I know bro. You've been saying that for years, but trust me: you need to see this."

Emmett opened the front cover and that's when our lives changed. There - in black and white, and color pictures - were pictures and some raunchy details of us having sex. I couldn't believe someone would do this... how did they get in here? Where did they get the pictures from?

Apparently my inner monologue wasn't so inner today. Emmett and Edward were staring at me while I ranted and raved.

"Bella... baby... relax..." Edward was rubbing his hands up and down my arms, trying to get me to calm down.

I turned to him, stunned. "How can you be okay with this?"

"Someone just has an overactive imagination," he said. "Its more common than you'd imagine."

I must have l looked at him like he had two heads because he laughed and told me to read it again.

I actually had to read it three more times to realize all the details were wrong! According to this article, we skinny dipped for hours, had sex in the hot tub, and slept outside all night. Too bad the pool and hot tub aren't filled with water yet!

But that did little to explain the picture. It was grainy, obviously taken from far away, probably on a boat. But there we were, against the window in his bedroom. All you could really see was my back, and you really had to squint to make out Edward sucking on my neck. It really could be anyone, but I was sure it was us.

"What about the picture?"

"Well, I'm pissed. I don't want anyone to know what we do behind closed doors, but there's nothing we can do?"

"Anyone can rent a boat," Emmett chimed in.

Edward was looking at the "article" again, scanning the page. When he stopped and chuckled, Emmett and I both looked at him like he lost his marbles.

He snuggled up close to me and whispered in my ear, "Looks like we'll always have evidence."

I choked on my coffee. Of all the things he could have said, that was certainly not what I expected to hear.

When I regained my ability to speak I turned to him, and with the most innocent look I could muster, I said, "You could have just kept my underwear."

Edward snickered and said, "I love your sense of humor."

He loved to make me blush.

"So what do we do?" I asked. No one seemed to have an answer. We all just stood there for a minute, lost in our own thoughts.

All of a sudden, I was filled with dread.

"Oh God! My parents are going to kill me!"

"No, I'm pretty sure they'll want to kill me," Edward chuckled.

"This is no time to joke. You haven't even met the Chief yet." I started pacing around the island. There was no way this was going to end well.

On my third pass around, Edward reached out and pulled me to him. I snuggled up against him, my back against his chest.

"Bella, relax. We'll tell them the truth, there was no skinny dipping."

This made Emmett laugh. "Good plan, Bro."

"Have Mom and Dad seen this yet?" Edward asked Emmett.

"I dunno, the only reason I saw it was 'cuz Rose looked at it first thing this morning."

This caught my attention. I immediately quirked my eyebrow and asked, "Oh really?"

"I... uh... I mean..." Emmett stuttered.

Wow... I made outgoing, cocky, confident Emmett speechless... didn't see that one coming.

"It's ok. Rose is a big girl, she can do whatever she wants." Or whomever, I guess.

"Good," he replied clearing his throat, "We'll have to triple date sometime."

"Triple?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, Alice and Jazz hit it off last night too," Emmett said.

"Oh good, she was picking out her wedding dress before we even made it to dinner," I added. "She tends to get a little carried away..."

"Back to the matter at hand," Emmett interrupted. "What are you going to do?"

Edward took a deep breath before kissing the back of my head. "I'll contact my agent an see what the plan of attack is."

He gave me a quick hug and left to make the call. Emmett told me about the rest of their date, thankfully leaving out all the personal details I didn't want to hear. We were finishing our donuts and coffee when I asked if he could drop me off at home.

"No can do babe," Edward announced as he came back into the kitchen. "We've got a meeting with my agent and a reporter she trusts. Plus, you have wild torrid sex with me, and another Cullen drops you off? That won't look too good, babe."

"Oh yeah, I guess. I didn't think about that."

"Can you have Alice bring you some clothes?" Edward asked. "Looks like we're gonna go public."

"Uh... didn't we already?" I was slightly confused. "I mean there are pictures of us all over the place for the past week."

"True. But that's not how it works in the biz... we make a statement, and then it's real."

"Wow... it's kinda like being in elementary school all over again. Do you pass me a note and I have to check a box?"

Edward quickly grabbed the box the donuts came in and scribbled something on it before passing it to Emmett. Emmett went to look at what was written but Edward stopped him. "Don't read it, dude! Just pass it!"

Emmett passed me the box and on top I saw the cutest thing, a note saying, "Will you be my girlfriend?" and below it two boxes, one with yes on top, the other no.

I grabbed the pen off the counter and quickly checked the 'yes' box and passed it back to Emmett.

"Can I look now?" he asked.

"No! Just pass it!" Edward and I both shouted.

a/n: Thanks to my awesome coworker/beta James.. who this time told me to learn how to use a paragraph.. what would I do w/o him?

Don't forget to REVIEW!


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